Ben Chacko: at 31 he becomes the youngest editor since William Rust.
Photograph: Morning Star

The Morning Star has a new editor, Ben Chacko, who becomes, at 31, the youngest editor since its famous founding editor, William Rust.

Originally titled the Daily Worker, the paper was launched as the voice of the British communist party in 1930. It changed its name to the Morning Star in 1966 and now bills itself as “a left-wing newspaper”.

Chacko, a graduate in Chinese, joined the Star as a sub-editor in 2010, and subsequently served as deputy features editor, assistant editor and deputy editor before becoming acting editor last July.

He spoke of his appointment being “an enormous privilege”, calling it “a make-or-break moment for the labour movement”. He said: “I want to put the Morning Star at the heart of the debate about how our class can start winning”.

The Star is owned by a readers’ co-operative, the People’s Press Printing Society. Irs chair, Bob Oram, said: “The future of our paper is in great hands”.

And the TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, also congratulated Chacko on his appointment in praising the Star for its “terrific job in exposing the devastating impact of cuts and inequality”. She said: “The paper is essential reading for many union activists, breaking stories often not covered by the corporate media”.

Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn agreed. “The Star is the most precious and only voice we have in the daily media”, he said. “I look forward to working with Ben in promoting socialism and progress”.